Persuasion IQ

Overview

Are you a persuasion expert? Or do you need to boost your Persuasion I.Q.? This book gives you the skills you need to become a master persuader... and achieve anything your heart desires.
Do you realize how much your professional success, your income, and even your personal relationships depend on your ability to persuade, influence, and motivate other people? Yet many of us continue to use outdated techniques for convincing others...or worse yet, have no technique at all.

Kurt Mortensen, through his Persuasion Institute, has sought out and studied the world's top persuaders, and with his specially formulated Persuasion I.Q. assessment—the most comprehensive persuasion resource available today—he lets readers in on the essential habits, traits, and behaviors necessary to cultivate their natural persuasive abilities. Concentrating on the 10 major Persuasion I.Q. skills, the book allows readers to determine their own current Persuasion I.Q., helping them to identify their strengths and weaknesses, and starting them down a path to enormous success and wealth. The book reveals powerful techniques that will enable them to:

• read people quickly

• create instant trust

• get others to take immediate action

• close more sales

• win over clients

• accelerate business success

• earn what they're really worth

• influence others to accept their points of view

• win negotiations

• enhance relationships

• and—most important—hear the magical word "yes? more often!

Whether you are selling a product, presenting an idea, or asking for a raise, persuasion is the magic ingredient. This powerful, life-changing book will transform anyone into a persuasion genius.

About the Author

Kurt W. Mortensen (Provo, UT) is one of America's leading authorities on persuasion, motivation, and influence. He is the coauthor of the bestselling book Maximum Influence (978-0-8144-7258-3).

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Press Release

HEADLINE:PERSUASION IQ:HEADLINE

SUBHEAD:The 10 Skills You Need to Get Exactly What You Want:SUBHEAD

Effective advertising, marketing, and sales professionals convince consumers to buy. Winning defense attorneys sway juries to acquit, and winning politicians urge constituents to vote for them. Trusted doctors counsel patients, and trusted clergy enlighten congregations. Respected teachers, trainers, and mentors advise and motivate students. Good parents guide their children. These and countless more examples show how successful people use persuasion every day.

"Regardless of our actual job title, we all persuade for a living,? notes Kurt W. Mortensen, who makes his living as an authority on the psychology, art, and distinctive intelligence of persuasion. In PERSUASION IQ: The 10 Skills You Need to Get Exactly What You Want (AMACOM 2008), Mortensen shares what he has learned about the talents, traits, habits, and mindset of top persuaders—people who stand out as exceptionally successful and prosperous—over nearly 20 years of wide-ranging research. First, he of an intensive self-assessment to help everyone identify their own persuasive strengths and weaknesses. Then, he provides a transformational roadmap for anyone to become a master persuader. "If you can effectively present your ideas and persuade others, you will be highly influential and highly respected,? says Mortensen.

What Mortensen calls "Persuasion IQ? or "PQ? is similar to "street smarts,? but focused on achievement goals. PQ relies on a combination of IQ (raised continuously through reading books, taking seminars, and learning from experts) and EQ (the ability to perceive, assess, and manage the emotions of self, others, and groups), with the addition of specific dynamic qualities.

As Mortensen explains, the way to attain a high PQ is to become a naturally persuasive person—someone who inspires long-term trust and respect from clients, prospects or other persuadees. PERSUASION IQ tackles 10 common obstacles that limit persuasion success—fear of rejection, over-persuading, and limited persuasion tools among them. From there, chapters focus on developing 10 essential PQ skills for success. Readers will learn how to:

? Take an honest look at their past mistakes and their current situation, and then move on to visualize success.

? Make a strong, positive first impression in 30 seconds or less, and determine whether they really are connecting with others.

? Overcome skepticism and quickly establish genuine, lasting trust by demonstrating compe?tence, confidence, credibility, congruence of word and action, and character.

? Stay consistently self-motivated and motivate others by understanding internal drives and external pressures, as well as their passion and purpose.

? Bounce back from setbacks, design a self-development program, and upgrade their future potential.

Throughout, Mortensen interweaves compelling findings from scientific research and his original surveys with everyday examples, classic fables, and inspiring quotes from proven persuaders, ranging from Abraham Lincoln to Brian Tracy. Defying clich?s and delivering realistic strategies for change, PERSUASION IQ is a refreshing self-development guide with a persuasive argument for taking persuasion seriously.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR:

Kurt W. Mortensen is the founder of the Persuasion Institute, a research firm, and is a leading consultant, trainer, and speaker on persuasion-related topics. A prolific author, his previous books include Maximum Influence (AMACOM). He lives in Provo, Utah.

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About the Author

HEADLINE:About Kurt W. Mortensen:HEADLINE

Kurt Mortensen is one of America's leading authorities on persuasion, motivation, and influence. He has devoted nearly 20 years to understanding and teaching the traits, habits, and mindset of exceptional achievers. A highly sought after consultant, trainer, seminar leader, and speaker, he excels at combining scientific research with real-world studies and timeless stories to inform, entertain, and inspire audiences. He has given presentations with Brian Tracy, Mark Victor Hansen, Tom Hopkins, and Les Brown. He is also the author of several books, including Maximum Influence (AMACOM 2004), which has been translated into 10 languages.

Mortensen earned a bachelor's degree in Communications/Advertising from Brigham Young University in 1992 and an MBA in Marketing and Consumer Behavior from the University of Pittsburgh in 1993. Then, realizing he hadn't learned the critical skill of per?suasion in college, he set out to educate himself. He attended scores of negotiation and sales seminars, read thousands of studies on human behavior and social psychology, and listened to every audiotape or CD on persuasion-related topics he could find. He sat through innumerable sales presentations, consumer intercepts, and surveys. He sought out top professional persuaders to learn what makes them tick, and monitored their im?pact on audiences as well. He also scrutinized telemarketing scripts, witnessed closes, and endured offensive old-school tactics. After a decade amassing research and assessing results, Mortensen founded the Persuasion Institute to share his findings. Since its incep?tion, the Persuasion Institute has administered over 200,000 Persuasion IQ assessments and changed countless lives through the Persuasion IQ Mastery Course. In his latest book, PERSUASION IQ: The 10 Skills You Need to Get Exactly What You Want (AMACOM 2008), Mortensen puts the secrets of persuasion within easy reach of anyone with the desire and drive to fulfill his or her greatest potential.

"Understanding that yesterday's persuasion training no longer applies in today's fast-paced, educated environment is the first step to mastering persuasion,? Mortensen writes. "True persuasion is about creating customers and friends for life. It's not about getting short-term compliance. That type of persuasiveness will generate long-term resentment, rebellion, and frustration.?

Kurt Mortensen is also the author of Magnetic Persuasion and the audio programs Power Negotiation and Millionaire IQ. He lives in Provo, Utah. Take your Persuasion IQ test at www.persuasioniq.com, and visit his other websites: www.persuasioninstitute.com, and www.kurtmortensen.com.

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Persuasion IQ Skills

HEADLINE:10 Essential Persuasion IQ (PQ) Skills for Exceptional Success:HEADLINE

? PQ Skill #1: Mental Programming. No feat can be achieved unless it is first conceived. Beyond cultivating positive attitudes, great persuaders consciously train their minds to visualize success, learn from and then let go of mistakes, and change self-defeating feelings.

? PQ Skill #2: Understanding How Your Audience Thinks. Great persuaders develop an intuitive sense of other people's emotions. They understand human nature, including subconscious triggers, knee-jerk objections, the laws of persuasion and how moods affect persuasion.

? PQ Skill #3: Instant Rapport and Social Synchronization. Aware of how much first impressions count, great persuaders can connect with anyone in 30 seconds or less. They aim to be friendly, helpful, and respectful, as well as genuinely enthusiastic.

? PQ Skill #4: Establishing Automatic Trust. Great persuaders overcome skepticism and doubt by putting others' interests first. They reinforce their trustworthiness through character, competence, credibility, confidence, and consistently matching their words and their actions.

? PQ Skill #5: Command Attention with Power and Authority. Great persuaders leverage different types of power and authority, and know which to use in different situations, to put others at ease.

? PQ Skill #6: The Ability to Influence Others. Great persuaders possess most, if not all, of the seven characteristics pivotal to influencing other people: charisma, passion, empathy, vision, optimism, attitude, and self-esteem.

? PQ Skill #7: Consistently Motivating Yourself and Others. Great persuaders rely on inspiration, rooted in emotions and vision, to re-charge their self-motivation and renew their commitment to success. They motivate other people to move out of complacency by tapping into a combination of internal drives and external pressures.

? PQ Skill #8: Advanced Presentation and Communication Skills. Great persuaders are great communicators. They work to excel at public speaking, storytelling, and humor, with the goal of keeping their audiences mentally engaged and entertained, as well as informed.

? PQ Skill #9: Preplanned Anticipation. Great persuaders never just "wing it.? They take the time to research, rehearse, set objectives, and prepare ahead of time, every time.

? PQ Skill #10: Self-Mastery and Personal Development. Great persuaders recognize the value of investing in continuous learning and growth. They read books and attend seminars. They seek out advice from experts and guidance from mentors.

Adapted from PERSUASION IQ: The 10 Skills You Need to Get Exactly What You Want by Kurt W. Mortensen (AMACOM 2008).

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Review Quotes

"Simultaneously useful and entertaining, this book is a thought-provoking examination into developing a vital talent.? Publishers Weekly

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Excerpt

Preface

What makes someone successful? Why do some people

achieve wealth, while others don't? How can we predict

who will make it big, who will barely make ends meet,

and who will fail? How do we quantify the characteristics of highly

successful people?

It all started in 1905. French psychologist Alfred Binet developed

one of the first IQ (intelligence quotient) tests. Throughout

the years many scientists have tried to predict future educational

achievement and life performance by using tests to measure intelligence.

The hitch was that a high score on this type of measured

intelligence was no guarantee of life success.

Intelligence is an important trait, but there are many types of

intelligences. Howard Gardner found there were multiple types of

intelligences, with each individual exhibiting varying levels of

these different intelligences. What types of intelligences did the

successful and ultraprosperous have? Which ones were they born

with and which ones were learned?

Eventually, the concept of emotional intelligence (EQ) was

developed. Daniel Goleman's groundbreaking book, Emotional

Intelligence, showed the world that success was determined not

only by IQ, but also by EQ. Emotional Intelligence, often measured

as an Emotional Intelligence Quotient (EQ), describes an

ability to perceive, assess, and manage the emotions of one's self,

of others, and of groups.

My research on what makes people successful has revealed

that success depends on something beyond IQ and EQ. My studies

show that those who enjoy greater happiness and wealth in life

posses a high ability to persuade, influence, sell, negotiate, motivate,

lead, and understand human nature. These are not abilities

learned in school, yet they must be mastered to achieve major success

in life. Some call this "street smarts,? I call it your "Persuasion

IQ? (PQ). Studies show that those who generate wealth and success

always possess a high PQ.

Given that, increasing your PQ is critical for your success and

this book will help you do just that. This book can change your

income, your relationships, and even your entire life. Each chapter

reveals the traits and characteristics of top producers in every

aspect of life. This is based on over seventeen years of research.

Not just theory or hearsay, but proven techniques that work in real

life. In this book I've taken all the results of my research and made

them easy to understand, easy to apply, and easy for you to use.

Deep down we want everyone to listen and do exactly what we

want. Every day you either persuade others to your point of view

or they persuade you to theirs. We have learned from society to use

intimidation, coercion, control, force, or sometimes compromise

to get what we want. Why settle for short-term compliance when

you can have lasting long-term influence? Persuasion has changed

and we must change our persuasion skills to adapt ourselves to the

new world. Top persuaders persuade without detection and they

persuade others the way they want to be persuaded. In today's

skeptical world any old-school persuasion attempts will be resisted.

Lack of persuasion, lack of trust, old-style persuasion, and lack

of people skills cost business billions of dollars a year in lost revenue.

How much has lack of persuasion or a low PQ cost you?

Now is the time to upgrade your skills instead of relying on techniques

of the past.

—Kurt W. Mortensen

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Table of Contents

Contents

Preface ix

Acknowledgments xi

1 What Is Your Persuasion IQ? The New Rules of Success

and Wealth 1

2 Persuasion Resistance: Ten Common Obstacles That Limit

Your Persuasion Success 17

3 PQ Skill #1: Mental Programming of Top Persuaders 39

4 PQ Skill #2: Understanding How Your Audience Thinks 67

5 PQ Skill #3: Instant Rapport and Social Synchronization 91

6 PQ Skill #4: Establishing Automatic Trust 119

7 PQ Skill #5: Command Attention with Power and

Authority 141

8 PQ Skill #6: The Ability to Influence Other People 161

9 PQ Skill #7: How to Motivate Yourself and Others Every

Time 179

10 PQ Skill #8: Advanced Presentation and Communication

Skills 205

11 PQ Skill #9: Preplanned Anticipation: The Secret Formulas

of the Pros 229

12 PQ Skill #10: Self-Mastery and Personal Development 251

Final Thoughts: Time to Capture Your Greatness 273

Appendix A: Persuasion IQ Book Bonuses / Free Reports 281

Appendix B: Abridged Persuasion IQ Test 285

Endnotes 299

Index 313

About the Author 323

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